Review: STAR WARS: Age of Rebellion - Princess Leia #1

STAR WARS: AGE OF REBELLION – PRINCESS LEIA No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.  And visit the "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

STORY: Greg Pak
ART: Chris Sprouse and Karl Story; Will Sliney, Marc Deering and Karl Story
COLORS: Tamra Bonvillain
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Terry Dodson with Rachel Dodson
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Giuseppe Camuncoli with Elia Bonetti; Mike McKone with Guru eFX
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2019)

Rated T

“Princess Scoundrel”

Princess Leia is one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars film series.  In fact, her rescue is what forces Luke Skywalker to answer the call to adventure in the original 1977 Star Wars film (also known as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope or simply, Star Wars: A New Hope).

Marvel Comics is currently publishing a new Star Wars maxi-series project that comprises three books:  Star Wars: Age of Republic, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion, and Star Wars: Age of Resistance.  This project will span 30 issues in total (reportedly), with each issue spotlighting one hero or villain from one of three particular Star Wars eras:  Republic (prequel trilogy), Rebellion (original trilogy), and Resistance (sequel trilogy).

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Princess Leia #1 (“Princess Scoundrel”) is one of the first two releases in the Age of Rebellion series (along with Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Grand Moff Tarkin #1).  It is written by Greg Pak.  The story is drawn by two art teams:  Chris Sprouse (pencils) and Karl Story (inks) on pages 1-12 and page 20 and Will Sliney, Marc Deering and Karl Story on pages 13 to 19.  The story is colored by Tamra Bonvillain, and lettered by Travis Lanham.  “Princess Scoundrel is set sometime between the events depicted in The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars: Episode V) and Return of the Jedi (Stars Wars: Episode VI).

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Princess Leia #1 (“Princess Scoundrel”) finds Leia and Chewbacca, the longtime Wookie partner and friend of Han Solo, aboard the Millennium Falcon.  They are one their way to rescue Han, who has been captured by the galactic crime lord and gangster, Jabba the Hutt, when they get a call from the Rebel Alliance.  A rebel craft has been shot down over the Outer Rim planet of Arkanis.  Who needs rescuing but Lando Calrissian, the man who is responsible for Han's current state of affairs.  Now, to rescue him, Leia must play a game of bounty hunters.

First, I have to say that I think that Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Princess Leia #1 would make a better miniseries than it does as a one-shot, but I guess it is best not to encourage Marvel Comics when it comes to Star Wars miniseries.  Still, in this twenty-page story, writer Greg Pak composes what is an interesting depiction of the relationship dynamics between Leia and Lando.  Pak also offers a compelling game of deception involving Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca and the infamous bounty hunters, Boushh and Bossk.

The art, produced by two teams for this comic book, is beautiful.  I think the second team does a good job producing art that looks like that of the first team.  The art especially captures the visual appearances of the characters as we expect them to look (like the actors that originally portrayed them) and also creates the exotic environments and landscapes we expect of a Star Wars world.

Tamra Bonvillain's gorgeous colors are perfect for a Star Wars comic book, and I have to be honest.  I always think that Bonvillain's colors are gorgeous.  Travis Lanham's lettering and effects are also excellent; he is seems like a just-right letterer for Star Wars, too.

I would like more of Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Princess Leia #1.  In fact, once again, let me say that I wish it were a miniseries.

7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: STAR WARS: Age of Rebellion - Luke Skywalker #1

STAR WARS: AGE OF REBELLION – LUKE SKYWALKER No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon. And visit "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

STORY: Greg Pak
PENCILS: Chris Sprouse; Scott Koblish; Stefano Landini
INKS: Karl Story; Marc Deering
COLORS: Tamra Bonvillain
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Terry Dodson with Rachel Dodson
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Chris Sprouse and Karl Story with Neeraj Menon; Mike McKone with Guru eFX; Ralph McQuarrie (Concept Design Variant Artist)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2019)

Rated T

“Fight or Flight”

Luke Skywalker is one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars film series.  He is my personal favorite.  I think that he has the most fascinating character arc in the Star Wars films, although some would argue that Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker does.  Luke debuted in the original 1977 Star Wars film, but he appears as an infant in the “prequel trilogy” film, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (also known as Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith).

Marvel Comics is currently publishing a new Star Wars maxi-series project that is comprised of three series:  Star Wars: Age of Republic, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion, and Star Wars: Age of Resistance.  This project will span 30 issues in total (reportedly), with each issue spotlighting one hero or villain from one of three particular Star Wars eras:  Republic (prequel trilogy), Rebellion (original trilogy), and Resistance (sequel trilogy).

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Luke Skywalker #1 is a new release in the Age of Rebellion series.  It is written by Greg Pak; drawn by Chris Sprouse, Scott Koblish, and Stefano Landini (pencils) and Karl Story and Marc Deering (inks); colored by Tamra Bonvillain, and lettered by Travis Lanham.  The story finds Luke Skywalker facing his first temptation from the Sith.

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Luke Skywalker #1 (“Fight or Flight”) opens in the galaxy's Outer Rim at the Imperial Refining Platform M36.  The Imperial Support Vessel 49AX3 approaches the refinery, but it is actually under Rebel control.  One of the rebels involved in this mission is Luke Skywalker.  Although the rebels are able to secure desperately needed fuel from the Imperial facility, the ease of the operation makes one rebel major uncomfortable, especially because of Skywalker.  Meanwhile, Luke begins to have concerns of his own, unaware of a dark influence from far away.

The few “Age of” Star Wars comic books that I have read have been average, good, and really good.  Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Luke Skywalker #1 is really good.  Its central theme of trust is one that would seem to be an obvious one for Star Wars comic books, but has rarely come up in Star Wars comic books that I have read.  Here, Greg Pak expertly uses it in this tale of an important rebel mission and of an important moment in the development of Luke Skywalker's personality and in his journey from farm boy to Jedi Knight.

Although there are three artists illustrating this issue, the art looks consistent.  When an “Age of” book has to have more than one artist or art team, it seems that editor Mark Paniccia manages to find artists whose work has at least a passing resemblance to one another.

Colorist Tamra Bonvillain and letterer Travis Lanham have been providing excellent work in their respective roles on these AOR titles.  They don't disappoint here.  I am also not at all disappointed in Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Luke Skywalker #1.  I am even surprised at how much I like it.  Perhaps, I like Luke Skywalker so much that am appreciative (maybe even overly-appreciative?) of any even remotely good story starring Luke, my first Star Wars hero.

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: STAR WARS: The Last Jedi - DJ: Most Wanted #1

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – DJ: MOST WANTED No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
PENCILS: Kevin Walker
INKS: Marc Deering
COLORS: Java Tartaglia
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Jeff Dekal
VARIANT COVERS: Movie Cover
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (March 2018)

Rated “T”

“DJ: Most Wanted”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – DJ: Most Wanted #1 is a one-shot comic book.  It is a comic book tie-in to the film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), the second movie in the Star Wars “sequel trilogy” (which began with 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens).  DJ: Most Wanted is written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker; drawn by Kevin Walker (pencils) and Marc Deering (inks); colored by Java Tartaglia; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – DJ: Most Wanted #1 opens in Canto Bight, the infamous casino city.  The wily gambler DJ is using his immense skills as a code breaker, hacker, and slicer to win even when he is losing.  This evening, he has managed to capture the interest of two honest cops, Pol Ipol and Oosha Choi, but it is the attention of the dishonest to which DJ must pay attention.  The worst of them all is someone known as “Denel Strench,” but who or what is he and why is everyone wary of him?

This is the second worst Star Wars comic book that Marvel Comics has published since it reacquired the license to publish Star Wars comic books several years ago.  What is the worst, you ask?  That would be (Star Wars Special) C-3PO #1, which was published back in the spring of 2016.

Why do I dislike DJ: Most Wanted so?  For starters, its title character is “DJ,” a character that I found unlikable and extraneous in the recent film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  In fact, this entire subplot involving DJ in the film was dumb and unnecessary, and basically, Star Wars: The Last Jedi – DJ: Most Wanted #1 is a dumb and unnecessary comic book.

Even the art by Kevin Walker, who is doing an excellent job on the Star Wars ongoing series, Doctor Aphra, under performs here.  I think writers Ben Acker and Ben Blacker did a good job on the previous spin off comic book from The Last Jedi (Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait #1).  They stumble here because they really do not have much with which to work.  This is basically a story that explains why DJ is in jail when we first meet the character in The Last Jedi, but nothing is known about his character other than that he is a two-faced opportunist.

Unless you are someone that has to collect every Star Wars comic book, I recommend that you keep the 4.99 (plus tax) or so that it would cost you to buy this pitiful comic book in your pocket.

3 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: BLACK PANTHER #166

BLACK PANTHER No. 166
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Ta-Nehisi Coates
PENCILS: Leonard Kirk
INKS:  Leonard Kirk and Marc Deering
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Brian Stelfreeze
VARIANT COVERS: Jenny Frison; Ryan Sook; Chip Zdarsky; Mike McKone with Rachelle Rosenberg; Wes Craig with Tamra Bonvillain (based on the the Incredible Hulk #340 cover by Todd McFarlane and Bob Wiacek)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Black Panther created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Rated “T”

“Avengers of the New World” Part 7

Black Panther is a Marvel Comics superhero.  He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated: July 1966).  Black Panther was T'Challa, the king and protector of the (fictional) African nation of Wakanda.  Black Panther was also the first Black superhero is mainstream American comic books.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an American writer and journalist.  This African-American commentator is also a national correspondent for The Atlantic, where he writes about cultural, political, and social issues, particularly as they regard to Black people in America.  Coates' second book, Between the World and Me (released in July 2015), won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction.  In 2015, he was the recipient of a “Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Black Panther and Ta-Nehisi Coates (with artist and designer Brian Stelfreeze) came together last year in a relaunch of the Black Panther comic book series.  Marvel Comics is in the middle of a new publishing initiative, “Legacy,” and that changes the issue numbering for Black Panther (and for a number of Marvel Comics' titles).  Coates now produces Black Panther with artists Leonard Kirk (pencils and inks) and Marc Deering (inks); colorist Laura Martin; and letterer Joe Sabino.

Black Panther #166 is the seventh chapter of the “Avengers of the New World” story arc.  The gods of Wakanda, “the Orisha,” have gone missing.  In their absence, mystical portals have been opening and releasing deadly creatures, monsters, and mutants.  A figure known as Ras the Exhorter tells the people of Wakanda that the Orisha are dead and leads them to believe in a new god, “Sefako.”  As Black Panther leads his allies to rescue Asira, an old friend, an old enemy steps forward to claim the prize he has sought since the time when T'Challa's father, T'Chaka was both the king and the Black Panther.

In his legendary 1980s run on DC Comics' Swamp Thing, Alan Moore created a personality for the title character and built a world of supporting characters, bit players, and an intriguing fictional mythology that allowed Moore to explore Swamp Thing's character and motivations.  The result was once-in-a-generation comic book storytelling.  Luckily, Alan Moore influenced generations of comic book writers who came after him.

Taking what the Black Panther writers and artists created before him, Ta-Nehisi Coates is building, issue by issue, a world of the Black Panther that is part of, but is also separate and distinct from the rest of the “Marvel Universe.”  Coates is doing what Alan Moore did with Swamp Thing – create a fictional comic book world that is wealthy with possibilities and does not really need the main universe.  As evident in Black Panther #166, Coates is still in the building process.  There is always some new element or page of Wakanda's history that comes to the fore.  For various reasons, some obvious, the American comic book world has not caught on to Black Panther the way it did Alan Moore's Swamp Thing.  And it should.

Coates collaborators have been stellar since the beginning of this series.  New series artist Leonard Kirk's art makes for quiet but powerful graphical storytelling – explosive in scenes when Klaw unleashes his power and powerfully dramatic when the story delves into the past.  As usual, colorist Laura Martin knows how to color every panel and every sequence in a way that propels the drama of the story.  Joe Sabino's matter-of-fact lettering does not call attention to itself, but, as it recedes into the background, it pulls you down, down, down into this exciting story.

I can't wait for the next issue.

[This comic book includes a three-page character overview written by Robbie Thompson; drawn by Wilfredo Torres; colored by Dan Brown; and lettered by Joe Sabino.]

A
9.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Albert Avilla Reviews: Green Lantern #13

Green Lantern #13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne & Marc Deering
Colors: Alex Sinclair with Tony Avina
Cover: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, and Rod Reis

“Actions and Reactions” (Spoilers)
This is a “Rise of the Third Army” tie-in and the beginning of the Simon Baz Green Lantern era.

The president and Amanda Waller are discussing their concerns about Simon becoming a Green Lantern. Simon is out in the Florida Keys while the ring is mapping his neural pathways. Simon gets a conflicting message from Hal and Sinestro, but they do agree that the Guardians need to be stopped. The tattoo on Simon’s arm is glowing green and causing him pain.

Simon returns to Dearborn where his sister is being ostracized, because he is a suspected terrorist. Simon meets with his sister to enlist her help in his attempt to clear his name. Then, we get minions of the Guardians assimilating two truck drivers. Okay, they are not very discriminating. Simon is trying to avoid the cameras on a building when he gets sneaked. It’s the Justice League that sneaks him. What ever happened to honor? What about innocent before proven guilty?

We’ve been through the set-up process for two issues now. Now, it’s time for some fighting. I want to see what Mr. Baz brings to the table. Once the League is involved things should jump off nicely. I don’t want Simon talking his way out of this predicament. Drama has its place, but superhero fantasies are about earth shattering action. This is an emotional story, thus far; Johns has done a good job of making us sympathetic to Simon’s plight.

Good art, but it is not the kind of art that will bring that sense of awe. It doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Mahnke does a good job with the characters’ faces; that seems to be his strength.

I rate Green Lantern 13 Read a Friend’s Copy. #3 (of 5) on Al-O-Meter Ranking

Albert Avilla Reviews: Green Lantern Corps #0

Green Lantern Corps #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Peter Tomasi
Pencils: Fernando Pasarin
Inks: Scott Hanna and Marc Deering
Cover: Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna with Gabe Eltaeb

The origin of the bad-ass Lantern is here. The story jumps off into hard core action from the get go. Blood splattering, decapitated heads, and Lanterns with their backs to the wall; we get all of this in the first four panels. Guy, the last Lantern standing, gets a beat down from the alien. Xar.

We get to the origin part of the story. Guy is an ex-cop blamed for deaths that he is not responsible for, living in the shadow of his brother the favored son. Guy is despised by his super-cop father for not living up to the family legacy. He saves his brother’s life with Daddy’s cane and a motorcycle. He gets the ring and cleans up the street in one night. Back to Xar where Guy is getting crushed: Guy mans up and blasts the crap out of Xar.

This is a ret-con of a character that I can agree with for many reasons. Guy is a more well-rounded character; not a meat-head jock who just wants to smash through everything. Being a Green Lantern is a tough, thankless job; it takes a person who is committed to the greater good. They are away from their friends and family for long periods of time. It’s hard on relationships. They don’t do it for riches; I never see them getting a check cut to them. It’s a warrior’s life, and Guy is revealed as a true warrior.

The ring didn’t make Guy a hero; the ring is a hero’s weapon. Guy has strong ties with his family, and he is fiercely protective of them, which explains why he is protective of his sector. Guy’s competitive nature originates from a lifetime of competing with his brother for his father’s approval; this now extends to Hal. Guy’s irritating personality comes from a father who didn’t teach him the social graces. This origin gives Guy more depth as a character; readers can relate to him as a hero with flaws. Guy has evolved from a flat character to a multilayered dynamic personality.

The art was cool. The fight sequences were great; you got the feeling that Guy was risking it all to win. There was a feeling of movement in the art. The crowd scene was engrossing; each person was an individual who is the center of his or her own life, not just extras. The skies over Oa were luminescent. I like bright colors in my comics. The art pops.

I rate this issue Buy Your Own Copy.